Best Of Pennsy Position-Light Signal Head - Shapeways Project?

[unittrain]

Those signals are stellar!! Please make them available! I'll definatley purchase some sets.

[peteski]

Excellent job Jim!  I love  to see bunch of ideas come together, making a better product. 

[mmagliaro]

Looking at how this idea started out, and how far it has come, is very impressive.  That signal looks really really good.
If I were still modeling PRR, I'd buy them (I was using the Alkem ones when I last did these).
I congratulate you on persevering with this and making such a nice model!

[robert3985]

Looking at how this idea started out, and how far it has come, is very impressive.  That signal looks really really good.
If I were still modeling PRR, I'd buy them (I was using the Alkem ones when I last did these).
I congratulate you on persevering with this and making such a nice model!

Ditto!  Excellent!

[3rdboxcar]

Nice project, and good result.

Alexander

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Definitely! These look nice now!

[MichaelWinicki]

I'd buy some.

[Ian MacMillan]

Very very impressed with how this turned out. If I was still doing CR in PA I would buy a bunch.

[Dave V]

Very well done!  With apologies to Bernie, these look better than Alkem in that they have a much more correct side profile.

Once I am able to go back to working on the Juniata Division I may be in for a bunch.  I have been wanting something with a thinner profile for a signal bridge.  These fit the bill! 

[nscaleSPF2]

Thanks for all of your kind words.  I really do appreciate them.  This has been a longer journey than I expected, but a learning experience is always good, eh?

A few more photos of the installed signal.  The mast, ladder, platforms and base are available from BeNscale.com. Ben is not paying me to do this, I just think that his kits work really well.

I drilled a 1/2 inch hole thru the layout, cut a recess, and glued in the white base.  You don't really need to recess the base, but I think that it looks better. 





The hole is big enough for a phone cord connector to fit thru.  Cheap and effective.



Finally, the signal is simply pressed into the white base.



The best part of this installation is that the signal will pop out of the base if it is inadvertently hit (like that never happens) and it stands a chance of surviving the hit.



A couple of you have expressed an interest in purchasing these.  The sad fact is that I simply don't have the time to assemble and sell these, but I would be happy to provide the link to the signal head in Shapeways.  You will be able to buy them for the same $5.00 that I paid.  There should be enough information in this thread for you to assemble these.  Please send me a PM if you are still interested.  Just be aware that this is not a trivial DIY project.

Jim Hale

[3rdboxcar]

Well that is just awesome.

Where are the - "3D printing is no good" and "Shapeways" are rubbish brigade now?

Alexander

[peteski]

Well that is just awesome.

Where are the - "3D printing is no good" and "Shapeways" are rubbish brigade now?

Alexander

It was here (me included). Earlier in this thread. Read through it. 

[JanesCustomTrain]

Where are the - "3D printing is no good" and "Shapeways" are rubbish brigade now?

I'm right here. 3D printing on the right RP printer with the right resolution is great for our hobby. Any locomotive or boxcar printed by Shapeways in any scale is just crap / sorry my french. So far I haven't seen any locomotive / cab or shell / or boxcar I would spend any time to build and paint. That may be different for signals and smaller parts like trucks and cars. If the model has big flat panels or curved shapes Shapeways is not there yet to reproduce it. Period.

Jane     

[nscaleSPF2]

Here is my opinion regarding the "Shapeways experience".  This is only my opinion.

Having a part printed by Shapeways is much like having a 2D backdrop printed by Staples.  Neither company invented the technology, but they both allow the consumer to take advantage of it.

If you are lucky, you will find a knowledgable clerk at Staples who knows what you want.  You will receive an acceptable result the first time.  Not perfect, but acceptable.  Perfect requires either a company that does custom photo printing, or it requires you to purchase a high quality photo printer.  Too often, the clerk at Staples is clueless, and you will receive an unacceptable result that needs to be redone.  Some of you have no doubt been thru this.

Will I continue to use Shapeways?  Yes, until either a better alternative is available, or until I can afford to purchase a high quality 3D printer.  If you are serious about modeling in N scale, there are too many items that simply are not available commercially.  For these items, 3D printing is currently the only option to building from scratch.  (Unless you have a CNC mill and are a computer wiz).

Jim

[wcfn100]

Well that is just awesome.

Where are the - "3D printing is no good" and "Shapeways" are rubbish brigade now?

Alexander

A nice heavy coat of gloss black can help any project.

Jason